UNA Pressroom

Former Cowboys Receiver, Una Alumnus To Host Book Signing

Nov. 04, 2011



Michelle Eubanks, UNA, at media@una.edu, 256.765.4392 or 256.606.2033

FLORENCE, Ala. - Author and former Dallas Cowboys and University of North Alabama receiver Robert Steele will host a book signing of his work "Steele Here: an Underdog's Secret to Success" Nov. 5 from 2:30-3:30 p.m. at the alumni pavilion on Spirit Hill near Braly Stadium. Kickoff to the UNA vs. University of West Georgia game will take place 4 p.m., with tailgating at Spirit Hill and the Lion Walk beginning at 2 p.m. Steele, who announced in October that he would extend a 20 percent discount on the $25 suggested retail price of his book, plans to donate 50 percent of the book sales to the Division I transition fund at UNA until 5,000 copies of the work are sold. Steele's goal is to raise $50,000 by the end of 2011. Steele pledged to help his alma mater successfully meet the Division I transition, which is expected to take six years and increase UNA's athletic budget by $3.4 million each year. See www.una.edu/division1 for details. "I am excited to be a part of UNA's transition to Division I," said Steele, an Atlanta resident and former Georgia state legislator. "When I was an underdog for the second time in my life, UNA took a chance on me and allowed me play Division II football. I want to help future students live the dream of becoming Division I players." Copies of the discounted book are available at www.steelehere.net(enter code D1), UNA bookstores or www.una.edu.

AUTHOR ROBERT STEELE

"Steele Here" is an autobiographical account of a chronic underdog who used dedication and determination to realize his dream of becoming a professional football player, and how that journey prepared him for a successful career as an entrepreneur and business-development expert. The 264-page book describes the dynamics of trying to make the World Champion Dallas Cowboys in 1978 as an undrafted free agent from a Division II school, and how Steele beat the odds one sports writer called "a million-to-one." More importantly, "Steele Here" is a "how to" book for anyone in any field about setting and achieving goals by adhering to commitment and an unyielding work ethic. It includes examples of how he transcended a series of career challenges by applying positive self-talk and powerful tenets that he extrapolated from introspection and conversations with his family, friends, coaches and colleagues. "Steele Here" (ISBN 978-1-61254-010-8) was published August 12, 2011 and is distributed by Brown Books of Dallas, Texas.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Robert Steele is a former wide receiver for the Dallas Cowboys and a participant in Super Bowl XIII. He is currently associated with a handful of firms that provide sales, marketing and business development consultation in the healthcare, insurance, employee benefits, and financial services industries: founder of Empowhr, CEO of TheEnterpriseZone, and senior vice president of Healthcare Insight. Steele served in the Georgia House of Representatives, and is working on his second book about his days with the Cowboys. A private pilot, avid golfer and entrepreneur, he enjoys speaking to youth groups, sales groups, and executives on a variety of business, sales and motivational topics. Press copies of the book are available via joe@jagpublicrelations.com or 707-795-9400. For more information about the book signing, contact Josh Woods, director of University Communications, at 256-765-4225 or e-mail jlwoods1@una.edu.

About The University of North Alabama

The University of North Alabama is an accredited, comprehensive regional state university offering credential, certificate, baccalaureate, master’s, and doctoral programs in the colleges of Arts, Sciences, and Engineering; Business and Technology; Education and Human Sciences; and the Anderson College of Nursing and Health Professions. The first-choice University for more than 10,000 on-campus and online students, UNA is on a bucolic campus in Florence, Alabama, part of the historic and vibrant Shoals region. Lions Athletics, a renowned collegiate athletics program with seven (7) Division II National Championships, is now a proud member of the NCAA Division I’s ASUN Conference. The University of North Alabama is an equal opportunity institution and does not discriminate in the admission policy on the basis of race, color, sex, religion, disability, age, or national origin. For more: www.una.edu and www.una.edu/unaworks/